racer

American  

[rey-ser] / ˈreɪ sər /

noun

racers plural

1. a person, animal, or thing that races or takes part in a race, as a racehorse, bicycle, yacht, etc.

2. anything having great speed.

3. racing skate.

4. a turntable on which a heavy gun is turned.

5. any of several slender, active snakes of the genera Coluber and Masticophis.

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racer British  

/ ˈreɪsə /

noun

1. a person, animal, or machine that races

2. a turntable used to traverse a heavy gun

3. any of several long slender nonvenomous North American snakes of the colubrid genus Coluber and related genera, such as C. lateralis ( striped racer )

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• miniracer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• racers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of racer

First recorded in 1640–50; race ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The theme park opened its new rollercoaster, Spinning Racer, on Friday as part of its "new era".

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Starring Redford as an obsessive skier competing in the Winter Olympics, "Downhill Racer" was described by critic Roger Ebert as "the best movie ever made about sports -- without really being about sports at all."

From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025

Speed Racer came on first, followed by Ultraman.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

Fifteen years ago, Michael Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics wearing a high-tech swimsuit with a catchy name, the Speedo LZR Racer.

From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023

The Winged Racer was a perfect beauty—one of those New York ships of superb model, with taunt, graceful masts, and square yards, known as “clippers.”

From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael

Related Words

• marathoner
• runner
• sprinter